A Present For Beka
by Ascendant Angel
Summary: It Beka's birthday and while chosing the prerfect present; Harper reflects on his friendship with Beka


A present for Beka  
  
Disclaimer: Tribune owns the Andromeda universe  
  
It was Beka's birthday next week and Harper had no idea what to get her all he knew was that this year he wanted to get her something special, some thing to remember, not some crapy trinket or cheap perfume like he usually got. No; Beka deserved something special, something extraordinary, like her, and this year Harper was determined to deliver just that.  
  
But what could be as extraordinary as Beka? That was what was puzzling Harper and he had only seven days to find it. Being a super genius Harper was sure it wouldn't take him that long, but three days latter he was beginning to doubt himself and two days after that Harper was seriously concerned. After yet still another day of fruitless searching Harper was beside himself with despair, now he had less than twenty four hours to find the perfect gift.  
  
As Harper flunked down on his bed he thought of all the times Beka had been there for him and all he could think of was how he was going to let her down tomorrow with yet another crapy gift when she deserved so much more than that. Tears welled in Harpers eyes which only made them fall harder as he though of how Beka wiped the tears from his eyes after his first nightmare aboard the Maru.  
  
**********  
  
Harper had been on board the Maru four days already but had not yet dared fall asleep encase the nightmares came he didn't have them all the time anymore like after it first happened, but they were still just as terrifying and, he still screamed out just as loud.  
  
After four days of no sleep Harper was shattered and could resist sleep no longer he daren't sleep on his bunk though so he crept down to engineering with a blanket off his bed and curled up on the floor to sleep; he doubted anyone would here him scream from there.  
  
For three more nights Harper continued to creep down to engineering on the fourth night the nightmare came it was the same as always and what made it so terrifying was that it was real Harper hadn't seen everything from his hiding point but he had heard it and his mind was quite cable of filling in the blanks.  
  
In the dream the slavers came for him just as they had in life and his parents fought for him, and then died for him, as he hid just as he had been told too. The only difference was in the dream he saw everything close up in slow motion. The slavers had come for him if only he hadn't hid and gone with them his parents could still be alive today. He wouldn't have seen as they slit his Dad's throat or head his mothers scream as she watched her husband fall to the ground lifeless before she too fell to the ground in a pool of blood. He wouldn't have sat crying buy there lifeless bodies till someone found him.  
  
If only Beka had stayed in her room that night she may not have heard him, but unable to sleep after Bobby's cruel words to her that evening she was pacing the ship; she heard someone moving in engineering and pulled out her gun (which never left her side) as she crept toward the door then she heard Harpers terrified scream and ran into the room. Beka found her newest crew member sweat soaked, hugging his knees, while rocking gently back and forth muttering something unintelligible under his breath, the look in his eyes scared Beka. Harper didn't seem to notice her until she sat down beside him; then she noticed that he instantly tried to regain his composer but the horror was still too fresh in his mind.  
  
She asked what happened he said nothing but spotting Harper's makeshift sleeping area she figured out what had happened, she should have guessed this would happen life wasn't exactly a walk in the park on Earth. She put her arms around him and suddenly he lost all attempt at composer and dissolved into tears, she held him rubbing circles on his back, muttering soothing words for a good half an hour until the tears dried up. She had asked him about it of course but he said he didn't want to talk about it so she never asked again just held him, she suspected however that she herself may have nightmares had he told her.  
  
***********  
  
Harper pulled himself together as the memory played to an end he was wasting time like this and that was the one thing he didn't have. Harper headed out to the drifts shopping area again on his quest for the perfect gift. He walked past rows and rows of gifts and trinkets but none of them were right, none of them were special. He picked up a top that he thought she might ware but put it back again in despair it wasn't 'special', he found a CD and at a bargain price too but, it still wasn't special enough. On the way out the store Harper walked past the medical section with all its medicines and dressings, and another memory hit him.  
  
***********  
  
He was sleeping fretfully in med deck his fever refused to come down no matter what Beka gave him, it was only a small wound she never thought this would happen, but it became infected and antibiotics weren't working, in fact nothing was working and, Beka was now really worried. Harper had quickly become close to her more so than Bobby (although in a different sense) and now it looked like she was going to lose him. Beka had to take him to a doctor but she had no money she knew what Bobby would say, that he wasn't worth It, but lucky Bobby was gone she finally pulled up the strength to make him leave once and for all but he had taken all their money with him.  
  
Harper got even sicker slipping into delusions he began screaming for the Nietzschean's to stop and leave him alone his arms and legs flailing out trying to protect himself against the invisible enemy. Then he dreamt of the Mogog and a tear slipped down Beka's face as the tears rolled down harpers own while he muttered goodbye to some unseen friends; she couldn't stand to see him suffer like this and she was powerless to stop it unable to bear it anymore she ran out the room tears steaming down her face she almost knocked Rev right down, as she fled, when he walked in to tend to Harper.  
  
Beka had never seen Harper that way before and, she realised he rarely talked about the past or let his real emotions show; that only made her cry harder. Back in her room Beka started throwing things in a box. Harper would live she vowed that even if she had to sell everything she owned to afford the hospital fees. Harper would live, he had too, she had seen enough people die, they both had. She wasn't going to lose this one.  
  
It was tight but they made the fees although Harper was still very ill he seemed to be improving: the doctor had finally got his fever down. Beka never left his side again in fact Rev thought he never saw her let go of his hand the entire time. When Harper finally woke up Beka was the first thing he saw her head resting on his bed and her hand still griping his. Rev told him latter that she had never left his side. He asked Beka later were some of her things had gone when she refused to tell him he asked Rev who under pressure told him the truth.  
  
***********  
  
Again Harper snapped out the memory Beka had sold some of her favourite things to pay for his care and turned down work to stay with him yet he had never repaid her tomorrow he would, he just had to find the right gift.  
  
He wandered though a jewellery store but realised he could afford only the plainest of items still nothing seemed right anyway. The store manager started staring at Harper like he thought he might steal something so Harper left the store as he did so another memory caught him.  
  
************  
  
He was in jail he had been caught stealing it wasn't much just some food and stuff but the store owner was mad and had him thrown in jail; the floor was cold and he was hungry but that didn't bother him he had lived with such things for years. What bothered him was that he had blown it, Beka wouldn't want a criminal on her ship, he had only wanted to help he knew they couldn't afford to pay for the stuff so he took It, only he wasn't clever enough, they caught him and now he had blown it the Maru would leave with out him this time.  
  
Beka was worried they were out of food and times were hard she had no money to buy more and Harper looked like he was losing every bit of weight Beka had managed to put on him and still more.  
  
Rev came to her with the news: Harper was in jail; at first Beka was mad she didn't need anymore trouble and couldn't afford to get him out of there. Then Beka found out what had landed him in jail he had been caught trying to steal food for them. She had tried to hid how bad things were from him and gave him what little they had left to eat; he had asked once why she wasn't eating too she had said she wasn't hungry, she thought he looked angry at this that someone would choose not to eat when they could. Maybe she hadn't hid the extent of their problems as well as she thought she had.  
  
She had to put the Maru up to make the money required to get him out of jail but, she was glad she did when she saw the state of him he was even thinner, he was limping and, now one eye was swollen shut; she saw him wince in pain as she helped him up. 'You came' she heard him say and was appalled to think that he thought she would just leave him behind. She wanted to take him straight to the Maru to get him patched up but that was out of the question as she wasn't allowed on her ship till she could pay back the money which she couldn't. Harper noticed they weren't heading back to the ship and asked why she had to tell him there was no other excuse to use.  
  
************  
  
Harper was again released from the memory with the thought that Beka had had to steal her ship back gaining herself a criminal record and they were chased for a week before they finally managed to break free. The more Harper thought about what Beka had done for him the more he realised there was never anyway to pay her back for all she had done; still he was determined to try and do what little he could. Harper continued to wander the shops but it was getting late now and most were closing down. Harper returned to the ship empty handed. That night Harper never slept all he could do was think about how he had let Beka down and now he had no gift for her not even a crapy one; she would think he didn't care he thought in despair.  
  
The following day Harper was too ashamed to come out of his room in the end Beka went in search of her missing friend she had hardly seen him over the last couple of days and when she caught glimpse of him he was vacant and withdrawn she was worried about him.  
  
He refused to let her in his room she was surprised and now even more worried, what was he hiding? Was he sick. Beka asked Rommie to open the door at first she refused but when Beka explained how odd Harper had been and, how worried she was Rommie opened the doors for her. Beka did not expect what happened next Harper was sitting on his bed looking even more vacant when he saw her he turned away. She sat down beside him 'I missed you' she said and, with that Harper dissolved into tears and she held him once more till be stopped crying.  
  
They hadn't done this for along time; while Beka knew Harper would never get over Earth but, that all seemed long behind him. Aside from the nightmares that ceased years ago Beka had never seen Harper cry like this before and she was truly worried.  
  
'Harper what is it just tell me what's wrong' she pleaded but, Harper only started crying again and becoming more vacant. 'I'm sorry' he whispered over and over she shook him in desperation to bring him out of his trance like state. Harper she cried please tell me what's wrong finally she got a reply 'you were always there for me' he said 'through the nightmares the illnesses and everything, now I've let you down' he choked out. Beka didn't understand 'you haven't let me down Harper you never could' she said. Harper still continued to sob 'but I didn't get you anything' he said 'I wanted to find something as special as you but I couldn't now I've got no gift you've always been there for me and I couldn't even find you a birthday present.' He stammered out at last.  
  
Beka chocked back her own tears 'is this what, this is about Harper, you could find me a gift?' Harper only gave a small nod I want to give you something special to show how much I cared. 'Oh Harper' cried Beka 'you didn't need a gift to do that, you show me more than you realise just by being there; you've been here for me Harper when I needed you just as much as I have for you'. She ended that what people who care about each other do. With that she gave him a big bear hug, and started to leave come on she said we've all missed you and I have a birthday party to go to and I wont go with out you. He hugged her back 'sure thing' he said then hopped of f the bed like nothing was ever wrong but Beka saw him pause in the door way 'err. you wont tell anyone about this will you' he said suddenly seeming embarrassed to have lost it like that; 'No of course not' Beka replied taking his hand and the two walked hand in hand to the obs deck were her party was to be held.  
  
Half way down the corridor something twigged in Harper's brain and he stopped, 'Hey, how'd you now about the party?' he said 'it was supposed to be a surprise!' 'Do you really think you can keep anything for me Harper' replied Beka with a smile.  
  
The end  
  
Rommie's Voice (trekgirl@onetel.net.uk)  
  
As always feed back is warmly welcomed. Thanks. 


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